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TJ

The crack of Jimmy’s hand making contact with Steven’s face might as well have been cannon fire with the way it rang out over the beat of the music pulsing through the club. Our friends had come up to stand in a semi-circle behind us while a group of onlookers had completed the circle behind Steven.

Steven squealed, his hand flying up to cover the side of his face, but not before I saw the outline of Jimmy’s handprint glowing red like a beacon.

Jimmy shook out his hand as he said, “I told you not to touch me.”

A bouncer cut through the circle. He had six inches on me and easily weighed two-fifty. “What’s going on here?”

“He slapped me,” Steven screeched, pointing an accusing finger at Jimmy.

“Is this true?”

“He was harassing me. I asked him several times to leave me alone and to stop touching me. He fucked around one too many times and found out.”

Jimmy’s voice was calm, but he reached his hand back to find mine, and I could feel him shaking. I suspected he was on the verge of an adrenaline crash. I could only hope a panic attack wouldn’t follow.

“It’s true,” Jason said, stepping forward. Once a linebacker and now a firefighter, he cut an imposing figure. “He asked him to leave him alone several times.” Several other people in the crowd murmured their agreement, and that was enough to have the bouncer nudging Steven away. He shot daggers as he went, but my only concern was Jimmy.

Our friends closed ranks, shuffling us off the dancefloor while the rest of the crowd resumed dancing. Jimmy’s shaking had intensified, and the moment we got back to our tables, I pulled him into my arms. He clung to me, trembling, while everyone else asked a million questions.

“Give him some space,” I said, knowing their concern was well-intentioned but likely overwhelming him. Jason handed me a water, nodding toward Jimmy to indicate it was for him. Jimmy took the water I passed him and drank deeply before turning to face our crowd of friends, all eyeing him with concern.

He addressed Drea. “I’m sorry for making a scene on your birthday.”

She scoffed. “You didn’t make a scene. He did. And besides, that was fucking awesome. You’re amazing. Putting that asshole in his place is the best birthday gift ever.”

“The way you weren’t having any of his bullshit reminded me of Sammy,” Jason said, his tone clearly approving.

“What do you want to do, sunshine? Do you want to go?”

He turned his attention back to me, straightening his spine and pulling his shoulders back. “No. I want to stay.”

“Are you sure?”

“We’re staying.” I could see the resolve in his eyes. The need to prove he could handle himself and to show Steven he hadn’t won.

He finished his water and after taking a quick breather, we all headed back out to the dancefloor, though Jimmy only lasted another hour before calling it quits. As much as everyone tried to rally, no one was in a very celebratory mood, seeing the strain the incident had put on him.

Jimmy was quiet on the drive back to his apartment, the weight of the night’s events resting heavily on him. I laid my hand on his thigh, and he covered it with his own, threading our fingers together in a fierce grip.

Back at his apartment, we walked up the steps in silence. Gone was the playful energy that had surrounded us before we’d gone out. Lucy greeted us as we stepped inside, trotting over to thread himself through Jimmy’s legs. Jimmy scooped him up, gave him a scratch and a kiss on the top of his head, then set him on the arm of the couch.

I came up behind Jimmy, running my hands up and down his arms. “What do you need?”

He turned, pulling my hand into his. “Shower with me?”

His eyes held a vulnerability, but there was strength there too. I couldn’t have been prouder of my fierce, brave boy. I nodded and followed him back to the bathroom. He started the water, then turned and pulled his crop top over his head, tossing it on the floor. He went to unbutton his jeans, but I flicked his hands away and took over the task. I undressed him slowly and with care until he stood naked before me. I then made quick work of removing my own clothes while he removed his makeup with a face wipe.

We stepped into the shower, adjusted the water temperature, and I turned him away from me so he could wet his hair. When he turned back around, I poured shampoo in my hands and lathered his hair. I ran my fingers through the strands, massaging his scalp, hoping the motion would soothe some of the tension.

While he was rinsing his hair, I poured body wash into a loofah before scrubbing every inch of his body, giving him the care and attention he deserved. My dick hung hard and heavy between my legs, but I ignored it. My purpose here was not sexual but to worship Jimmy and show him just how precious he was. I wanted him to know how much he was loved in spite of what that fucker had said or done to him. I wanted to erase every bad action with a good one. Every hurtful comment with a kind word. I wanted him to forget all the bad things in his life until he only remembered the good.

When the water began to run cold, we switched places, and I quickly cleaned myself up before we stepped out of the shower. Jimmy reached for a towel, but I took it from him, running it over his body and drying his skin with the same tender care I’d used to wash him.

“Better?” I asked when I was finished.

“I want you to make love to me.”

“Sunshine, we don’t have to. We can?—”

“This is me telling you what I need. And what I need is you .” There was an earnestness in his eyes. A plea. There was no way I could have told him no.

I nodded, placing his hand in mine and bringing it up to kiss his knuckles. I dropped the towel and led him into his bedroom. I hadn’t dried myself off and was still dripping wet, but I paid it no mind.

We climbed up on the bed, kneeling in front of each other, dicks bobbing with the motion. I took his hands in mine, flipped them over, and pressed a kiss to each palm before placing them on the back of my neck. I pressed my forehead to his and breathed in his clean scent, taking a moment to steady my erratic pulse.

“I was so fucking proud of you tonight, sunshine. I get the idea that you don’t want to talk about it, but it needs to be said. You were brave and fierce, and I’m beyond proud that I get to call you mine.”

He sniffled and I pulled away to get a look at his face. His eyes were shining, but he hadn’t let the tears fall. “You said ‘fuck’ again.”

“I told you I save it for the times that call for more impact. I can’t think of a better use of the word if I’m being honest.”

“I don’t know if I could have done it without you there. Knowing you were behind me, and Drea and everyone else… It gave me the strength to say what needed to be said.”

“I’m always happy to have your back. But you didn’t need me, sunshine. You absolutely could have done it on your own.”

“You helped me find my voice, then.”

“If you say so.”

I closed the distance between us and pressed my lips to his, holding there for a moment, savoring the feel of his mouth on mine. What was it about the act of kissing him that sparked such emotion inside me? I could feel it bubbling below the surface, the effervescent joy that came with loving him so purely.

I wanted to tell him. To let him know what he meant to me. That I thought maybe I’d been in love with him since the moment I’d seen him sitting by the creek, looking lost in a world that hadn’t been kind to him. That I’d slid further into love as we’d shared a room and a bed five years ago. And that even though I’d never stopped loving him in all the time since, surely I’d never loved him so deeply as I had tonight when I’d watched him eviscerate the man who hadn’t realized what a damn treasure he’d had. When he’d stood in the middle of that club in a crop top and eyeliner and owned every ounce of who he was.

I wanted to tell him all of that and more, but we’d done enough talking tonight, so I settled for showing him instead.

I swiped my tongue against his upper lip, dipping inside when his lips parted. My hands came to rest on either side of his face, tilting his head to a more comfortable position as I plundered and tasted. I scooted my knees forward until our bodies were pressed together, wanting as much skin-to-skin contact as possible. We both hissed as our dicks bumped into each other, and I deepened the kiss, instinctively searching for more.

His hands slid down my arms and around to my back, rubbing up and down, causing goosebumps to pop out along my flesh. I shivered, my damp skin cool while I burned up from the inside. I was on fire for him, burning with the need to make him mine. And to give myself over to him so he could, in turn, make me his.

We sank farther into the bed until my body covered his, our aching cocks trapped between us. Tongues tangled and twisted. Hands roamed. He hooked one of his feet around my calf. It was as if we were trying to get as much skin-on-skin contact as possible.

I slid my tongue along his jaw, finding that spot just behind his ear that I knew would have him whimpering. I was not disappointed when he tilted his head back and whined my name. I smiled, continuing my assault along the column of his neck, licking and sucking my way down to his shoulder. “I’ve always loved the noises you make when I’m taking you apart. Always so expressive.”

“I can’t help it. You make me feel wild. Uncontained.” He gripped my hair and tugged, sending lust shooting through me, and I groaned with my lips pressed against his skin.

I slid my hand down his torso until I found his dick hard and leaking. I wrapped him in my fist and stroked, his hips punching up as he gave a needy moan.

I moved back up his body and kissed him deeply. “Do you still prefer to bottom?”

“Yes,” he said with a sigh. “But I haven’t in a long time. Steven always wanted me to top, and it was easier to just?—”

I interrupted him with a kiss. “He doesn’t belong here between us. We’re not going to give him any more of our attention tonight.”

At his nod, I kissed him again, then trailed my lips down his chest, flicking my tongue across one nipple and then the other before continuing down the smooth planes of his torso.

I pressed a kiss over his hip bone, then worked my way inward toward the curls nestling his cock. God, I loved the sight of his dick, with its rosy pink head jutting out proudly, begging for attention.

I breathed deeply, the scent of soap and clean skin mingling with arousal and desire. “Mmm, you smell like you,” I mumbled, my breath ghosting along his skin.

His head popped off the pillow. “What does that mean? What do I smell like?”

“Just…you. I don’t know how to describe it, but there’s nothing else like it. It’s like…comfort and warmth and…home.” I took another deep breath. “Something in my soul settles and goes, ohhh. ” I nuzzled his dick one more time. “I can’t believe I went five years without this.”

I flattened my tongue and ran it along the underside of his dick, enveloping just the tip in my mouth and sucking. He let his head drop to the pillow while his back arched and his thighs tensed at the contact.

“I love having your mouth on me,” he said. “It feels so good.”

I pulled off, then slid my hands down the underside of his thighs, lifting and pushing back so his pretty pink hole was exposed to me. “That was just a little detour. I’m about to make you feel really good.”

Anticipating my next move, he grabbed hold of his legs and pulled them back, spreading himself for me. I feasted on the sight of him so open and vulnerable. He was so damn sexy like this. I was the luckiest man in the world to get to call him mine for a second time.

I leaned forward but surprised him when I bit at the flesh of his ass rather than taking aim at his hole. He was still slender, much as he’d been five years ago, but he’d fully crossed the bridge into manhood, including the pert ass his jeans had showcased this evening.

I nibbled and sucked at the flesh of one cheek before moving over to the other, giving it the same treatment, leaving his skin red and wet. I took a moment to admire my handiwork, then used my hands to spread him open, admiring that dusky pink pucker. I skimmed the pad of my thumb across his hole, watching as it fluttered at the contact.

“More,” he begged. It was part moan, part sigh.

When I applied the slightest bit of pressure with the tip of my thumb, he shuddered, his entire body quaking with the contact. Keeping my thumb in place, I leaned forward and added my tongue, licking him sloppily. I wanted him wet and loose.

He wriggled beneath me as I continued my assault, using both my tongue and my fingers to open him. “I need you,” he whimpered. “Want you inside of me. Please.”

I licked one more stripe across his opening, then looked up. “Supplies?”

“In the drawer. But I want you bare. I was tested after…and I’m negative. I don’t want anything between us.”

I surged up and kissed him. He didn’t seem to mind the fact that I’d just been eating his ass because he opened for me, tongue and teeth clashing in a battle for dominance. “I haven’t been with anyone since you.”

He pulled back as much as he could in his position and looked at me, eyes wide with shock. “It’s been five years…”

I shrugged. “I tried to get over you. I went on exactly one date. He was sweet, but he wasn’t you. I never went on another one.” I smoothed a thumb across his cheek. “You’re it for me, Jimmy. I don’t want anyone else.”

His face crumpled, tears leaking from the corners of his eyes. “I’m sorry. I should have never let you go. I should have tried harder to make it work.” His voice hitched while his tears escalated to full-fledged sobs.

“Shh. Hey. It’s okay. Come on.” I crooned as I thumbed away his tears. “We won’t ever know what might have been. But we’re lucky to get a second chance, and I intend to make the most of it.” I kissed him gently on the forehead. “What’s five years if I get to spend the next sixty with you?”

He sniffled, his eyes shiny and bright. “Is that the future you see for us?”

“It’s the one I hope for.”

He frowned. “Why does that idea terrify me so much? I mean, I want a life with you. But it feels like the thing I want more than anything in the world is right there within my grasp, but when I extend my arms to take it, it’s just out of reach.”

Hearing him say he wanted a life with me had my pulse ticking up, then plummeting at his admission that he wasn’t quite ready. My gut said he would be though. I just needed to be patient.

“I’m not going anywhere, sunshine. I’m right here, and I’ll wait for as long as it takes. If thinking about a long-term future is too much, then focus on the next week instead. As long as we’re moving forward, that’s good enough for me.”

“I don’t want to hurt you,” he whispered.

I rolled to his side and pulled him into my arms. “I don’t think you will.”

He rested his head on my chest, his breath tickling my nipple. Our dicks had softened, but mine gave a little twitch at the stimulation. He ran his fingers up and down the center of my chest, sending vibrations humming beneath my skin. I was still aroused, and the contact brought my dick back to life. I could feel his thickening too, where it rested against my thigh.

“You want to resume our previous activities?”

His wandering hand slid south, wrapped around my cock, and gave it a lazy pull. I tilted my head back, my eyes sliding shut as pleasure rippled through me. I’d been so focused on serving him that I’d neglected my own dick, and the feel of his fingers wrapped around me was almost too much.

He continued to play with my shaft, sliding a finger over my tip and swirling the bead of moisture around the crown. “You have the most perfect cock,” he said, almost conversationally. “Can I ride it?”

My balls throbbed at the thought, and I reached down, stilling his hand before I shot my load prematurely. “Jesus, Jimmy. Yeah, you can ride me. I’d love nothing more.”

He scrambled up, climbing over me to get to the nightstand. His dick grazed my thigh as he did so, leaving a smear of precum in its wake. He sat back, popped open the lube, and drizzled some over my dick. I hissed at the feel of the cool liquid sliding down my shaft but immediately got distracted by the sight of him reaching back and working himself open.

What an erotic picture he made, head thrown back and brow furrowed in a mix of concentration and pleasure. I stroked myself a couple of times, spreading the lube around, then used my slicked-up hand to stroke him. His hips jerked and his eyes shot open at what I could imagine was the assault on dual pleasure points with my hand on his cock and his fingers in his ass.

“Fuuuck,” he moaned, then pulled his hand free and scooted forward until he straddled my hips. Reaching between his legs, I held my dick steady so he could line himself up with my crown. He hissed at the contact of my tip against the sensitive skin of his entrance.

“Ready?” he asked, eyes intent on mine.

I nodded, and he began to lower himself, bearing down to allow me to slide more deeply into his body. That same look of concentration was back as he slowly eased himself down, his tight heat enveloping me. He felt so damn good. I had no idea how I was going to make this last. Once again, I reached for his cock, stroking him slowly until he was fully seated on top of me.

We both breathed deeply as he opened his eyes, gazing at me intently. I could see all the love he held for me there. He just had to figure out how to give in to it.

“You feel amazing,” I said with a sigh. The words were unoriginal, but I didn’t think the English language contained a word or phrase that could adequately describe just how perfect his ass felt wrapped around my cock.

“So do you,” he moaned, sliding up slowly before easing back down. “I don’t think there’s anything as perfect as the feel of your cock buried inside me.” He slid up again, then back down, picking up the pace. I matched the tempo he set as I stroked him. “I don’t know how I lived without this for so long.”

He began to move faster, and any words I might have uttered were lost to the waves of pleasure rolling through me. I released his cock and slid my hands to his hips, urging him to move faster as I bucked into him.

He leaned forward, crying out as the change in angle had me pegging his prostate. “Right there. Oh Jesus, fuck.”

I drew my knees up and planted my feet on the bed to get more leverage, ratcheting up the tempo to a feverish pace. My balls were drawn up tight with the need to unleash, and I bit my lip, determined to make sure Jimmy got off first.

“Come, sunshine. I need you to come, baby.”

He screeched, and then wet heat spread between us as his orgasm rolled through him. I gave two more quick thrusts and, with my hands still on his hips, held him still with my dick buried inside him as far as it would go. My cock pulsed as I painted his insides with my release, grunting my way through it while he panted in my ear.

It wasn’t the longest orgasm I’d ever had, but it was definitely the most intense. I could feel the aftershocks all the way down to my toes and my face was tingling. My fingertips skittered across the skin of his back in a soothing motion as his breaths eventually slowed to a more reasonable rate. My legs gave out and I let my feet slide until I was starfished on my back with Jimmy sprawled across my front, jizz trapped between us.

My softening dick slipped out of him, but I didn’t want to break the moment by moving, so I held him there, matching his rhythmic breathing. I thought maybe he’d fallen asleep, but then he said, “We should probably get cleaned up.”

“Probably,” I returned, though neither of us moved. A moment later, I heard the unmistakable sound of a snore. Smiling into his hair, I squeezed him in a hug and then gently rolled him off me, trying not to wake him. He rolled away from me onto his side, which allowed me to get up and run to the bathroom.

I returned with a wet washcloth, wiping him down and then myself before returning the washcloth to the bathroom. Back in the bedroom, I paused for a moment to watch him sleep and marveled at the wonder of him. Pride filled me again as I recalled what an absolute badass he’d been at the club. And then there was immense gratitude that I got to claim him as mine.

And as I slid into bed behind him, pulling the covers over us and wrapping an arm around him, I was filled with nothing but love.